Are you a brand-new blogger who's looking for your audience? Or are you a more experienced blogger who's ready to expand your readership?

There are more than 4 million blog posts written every day, but how can you stand out from the crowd?

You may have heard a lot of conflicting information about how to grow your blog. We've got the insider hacks and the pro tips to help you ramp up your numbers and get your blog seen by a larger audience.

Create Original Content

You've probably heard that you need to create original content for your blog, but how often should you do it? Instead of posting every week or every month, try to post at least three times per week. You don't have to create a long blog post, just try to cover a different topic each time.

Another strategy for growing blogs is to develop other forms of content, like infographics, memes, or videos. You're trying to create viral content, so go ahead and branch out!

Again, you don't have to spend a lot of money to create good content. As long as it's original and reflective of your values, you should have a good result.

Learn About SEO

SEO, or search engine optimization, may sound confusing. It just refers to the process of making your blog more visible to Google's search engines. If you can optimize your blog, you raise the chances of readers finding your website.

To make your blog SEO-friendly, you'll want to find a few keyword phrases and work them in to your blogs. They can be different for each blog, but you should try to find keywords that people are searching for.

You can use an online keyword generator to do your research. There is much more to learn about SEO, but generating keyword phrases is a good first step.

Also, try to include a keyword in your title. It could increase the amount of clicks that you get by more than 20%.

Make a Podcast

When you make a blog, your goal is to drive as many people to see it as possible. If you create a podcast, you can advertise your blog on it and raise your viewership.

Creating great content is how to get people to read your blog, and the same holds true for podcasts. They don't have to be fancy or even very long, just long enough to entertain your listeners.

Podcasts are fun because you can interview people and have listeners comment on the air. You can put in an advertisement for your blog at the end and invite people to check out your website.

Leverage Your Social Media Profiles

If you're wondering how to build a blog, you need to establish a strong online presence. You'll be using keywords to get your website to rank higher on Google, advertising for your blog on your podcast, and using your social media to attract new readers.

You should have a social media profile on all the major platforms: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. If you want to make more, you can, but stick to those three at first.

Pro tip: name your social media profiles after your blog. You could use your own name, but it might be harder for new readers to find you.

Ask for Back Links

Back links are when another website links to yours. They can add valuable "reputation points" to your website and make it rise in the Google rankings.

Once your blog is well-known and popular, other websites will link to yours. Before that happens, however, you may need to contact website owners directly and ask for the link.

What you can do is offer to link to their blog in exchange for a link to yours. You might be surprised to find out that experienced bloggers are ready and willing to help out a newbie!

Write an e-Book

Another way that you can boost your readership is by developing e-books and premium content. It's not that hard to write an e-book, and you can charge a small fee.

Premium content simply means that you close off part of your blog and charge a fee to access it. You might want to wall off your infographics, or you might want to put your favorite blogs behind closed doors.

To see if your readers will respond to the premium content idea, start by charging a very low introductory rate. If they're willing to pay a few dollars to access premium blogs, they may be willing to subscribe to more content at a higher rate.

Become a Guest Blogger

If you really want to see a spike in your readership, try becoming a guest blogger. You would have to reach out to other blog owners and ask them if you can write a guest blog for their website.

A guest blog can be about any topic, but you can include a link to your blog at the end. It's a great way to hone your writing skills and get a little free publicity.

You should also feel free to comment on other people's blogs. It's good to get your name out there and can help you find new readers with the same interests.

How to Grow Your Blog from Nothing

You may be a bit discouraged if you're just getting started with a new blog. There are so many websites out there and it can be hard to know how to grow your blog. The tips that we gave you are a great place to start, but what can you do if you're not really that interested in writing?

If you've got a great idea for a blog, you can have us write blog entries for you. We'll take care of all the SEO stuff, and you can specify which topics you'd like covered. It's easier than sitting down to write, and we come up with some great articles.

You can register for free online, or just send us an email to get started. We're looking forward to hearing your ideas!

If you're running a website, you've heard the same advice over and over: content, content, and content. It's not wrong. The internet is where people turn for all types of information today, and the demand for high-quality content is higher than ever.

The right content on your site will drive traffic, improve search engine optimization, and end up bringing you more revenue. How do you know what type of content you need, though?

As content creators, one of the most common mistakes we see is that businesses don't know whether to ask for a blog or an article. Some people use those terms interchangeably, but you need to know the difference in order to get the content that will help you most.

Here's what you need to know about the differences between writing an article and writing a blog.

Writing an Article vs. Writing a Blog: The Key Differences

Most of us have been disappointed in a purchase at one time or another because we asked for the wrong thing. To prevent that from happening with your web content, here are the differences between an article and a blog.

Point of View

You may remember the three points of view you learned in English class. First person point of view has a clear narrator, using words like "I" or "we." Second person point of view has no narrator but it speaks to the reader, using "you." Third person point of view has no narrator, nor does it acknowledge the reader, using only "it" and similar articles.

When a writer writes a blog, they use first person point of view. In a sense, it's a one-person conversation with the reader.

An article, on the other hand, is always in third person point of view. It reads more like a textbook or a newspaper.

Content

A blog and an article can both have the same subject matter but they approach it in different ways. Let's use the topic of interior flooring trends as an example.

In a blog, the writer is a person sharing their own opinions and expertise. For instance, you might write a blog titled, "The Coolest Hardwood Flooring Trends from 2018." You wouldn't have to do much research if you do any at all because it focuses on your opinion.

An article, on the other hand, is a researched and methodical piece. An article writer bases their content on research and should not inject their own opinions into the article. In the example above, their article might have a title like, "The Top-Selling Hardwood Flooring Brands in 2018." Their article should have plenty of sources and citations.

Voice

On top of the content and the point of view, the writing style is a key difference between blogs and articles.

A blog is casual and conversational. As a business, your blog is a great branding opportunity because it lets you show your personality. This is why it's so important to hire a professional blog writing service: the writers have the skills to capture your voice.

An article, on the hand, has a far more formal and academic tone. The goal is to use a neutral voice so the reader forgets that the writer even exists.

Keywords

From a search engine optimization standpoint, blogs and articles are huge differences.

For most businesses, SEO is the key reason they want a blog on their site. It can offer your SEO a huge advantage if you craft your posts right. For that reason, a blog writer usually has specific keywords they need to prioritize throughout the piece.

In articles, on the other hand, SEO isn't usually a consideration. The writer doesn't do keyword research, nor do they try to work certain keywords into their content.

Don't interpret this to mean that blogs sound unnatural because the writers are trying to use certain keywords. A good writer is able to take almost any keyword and work it into the content in a way that looks seamless and professional.

Medium

If you aren't sure whether a piece is a blog or an article, think about where the piece appears.

A blog usually appears on a company or individual's website. Sometimes a blog is the entire focus of a website. They tend to strike a happy medium between entertainment and education.

An article, on the other hand, is entirely educational. Articles tend to appear on a more professional medium like an organization's website or a news publication.

For instance, let's take a look at the example we used above about hardwood floors. The blog about flooring trends might appear on a homemaker's blog or an interior designer's website. The article, on the other hand, would be more likely to appear on the website for an organization in the flooring or construction industries.

Length

We're including this note because it's actually a misconception.

Many people think that the difference between blogs and articles is that blogs are shorter than articles. This is not a reliable or consistent difference.

There are plenty of blogs that are 2,000 words or more and plenty of articles that are under 500 words. The difference is in the content and other criteria above rather than the length.

It's important to note that when you order content, you can often specify the length of the blog or article you want. Longer pieces will allow you to go into more detail and they're often better for your SEO. If you try to stretch out a narrow topic into a long piece, though, you'll lose your readers' attention.

Ordering the Perfect Content for Your Site

Between writing an article and a blog, no one type of content is better than the other. They each have their pros and cons and are better suited for different purposes. The key is figuring out the one that will produce the results you need for your website.

If you're ready to start building your website's content today, order web content online from our skilled and experienced team.

The global digital population has exploded in the last decade and now totals a staggering 4.2 billion people. That means, if you're considering building a blog, you have 4.2 billion opportunities to get new fans and make some serious money.

As is the case with anything worth doing however, building a blog takes time. The first step you'll need to tackle when creating yours is picking the right blog hosting platform.

For the uninitiated, a blog hosting platform is the engine that runs your blog. It's where you'll write your content, engage with your followers, and do just about everything else.

Picking the right platform can make your blogging experience significantly easier. Picking the wrong one... well... doing that is a recipe for giving up.

To help you find the right blog hosting platform, below, our team shares our top 10 recommendations.

1. WordPress

WordPress powers 30% of the entire internet! That makes it the most common blog/website hosting platform on the face of the planet.

It's no wonder why people love WordPress either, the platform works like a dream!

WordPress is intuitive and given the amount of support it gets from its parent company and the rest of the internet, you can do just about anything you want with your WordPress blog through the power of millions of online templates and plugins.

To top it all off, WordPress' core is 100% free.

2. Joomla!

Joomla! is an incredible blog hosting platform that's very similar to WordPress. While not as popular or as widely supported, Joomla!'s core offers more flexibility than WordPress out of the box which may give it an edge for slightly more tech-savvy users.

Furthermore, Joomla! is 100% not-for-profit. If that means anything to you from a moral standpoint, you may want to try your hand at Joomla!

3. Drupal

Drupal is yet another platform that, in spirit, shares a lot of similarities to WordPress and Joomla!. The big difference with Drupal is that it's pretty hard to use.

Drupal is definitely a "some coding knowledge required" platform but with that requirement, the platform is one of the most flexible website and blog hosting platforms on the market.

4. Ghost

Ghost is a streamlined blog hosting platform that beginners and experienced bloggers alike love.

Why?

Ghost's easy to use blog-focused interface makes it easy to pick up when it comes to first-time bloggers. That same interface is loved by seasoned bloggers because it makes creating posts on a regular basis just about as simple as publishing content can get.

5. WIX

While more of a website building platform than a traditional blog platform, many people opt to create their blogs on WIX because its website builder is so darn simple to use.

WIX is pretty much the pioneer of creating stunning websites with a drag and drop editor. All of its site templates are 100% mobile-friendly and pricing for this platform is pretty reasonable.

While we love WIX for its ease, we do question how scalable a blog can be using it.

6. SquareSpace

Another blog hosting/website building platform that's similar to WIX is SquareSpace. SquareSpace's outstanding interface makes the platform easy to use and it's great selection of eCommerce tools makes selling things through your blog simple.

Again, this platform isn't traditionally targeted at blog building but certainly can be used to create stunning blogs.

Given its pricing plans, you'll probably need to explore eCommerce to some degree to justify your using the platform.

7. Weebly

If you're looking for a more bare-bones and consequently easier to use blog hosting experience that's similar to WIX and SquareSpace, try Weebly.

Weebly features an excellent drag and drop editor for building your blog and a few easy to use eCommerce integrations in case you're looking to sell merchandise.

Weebly does not have much in the way of HTML, CSS, and JScript customization options. If you're a tinkerer you'll want to steer clear.

8. Blogger

No blog hosting platform is complete without a mention of Blogger. Blogger was the original blog platform and was built on the principle of providing people with the tools they need to share their rants and do... well that's about it.

Blogger is free and even if you've never seen a computer before you'd be able to figure out publishing content in about 15 minutes.

You're not going to be able to scale your business around blogger very well but if you're looking to blog just to blog, there's no simpler way to do it.

9. Tumblr

For casual bloggers, Tumblr is great. Its beautiful interface and fun community make sharing your thoughts on the platform easy and fun.

In recent years though, Tumblr has put less of an emphasis on writing and more of an emphasis on pictures/gifs. Because of that, if you're looking to share a lot of written content, this may not be the platform for you.

10. WordPress.com

"Wait... you already mentioned WordPress, right?"

Yep. But we didn't mention WordPress.com.

WordPress is the free-to-use, self-hosted version of the WordPress core. WordPress.com is hosted by WordPress, streamlines things a little, and costs money.

We figured we'd give this version of WordPress shout out on our list for those of you that want to use WordPress but don't want to go through the trouble of setting up your hosting platform by yourself.

Our recommendation is to definitely try and get "WordPress traditional" to work before buying hosting services on WordPress.com

Wrapping Up Killer Blog Hosting Platforms for Every Skill Level

There you have it. 10 killer blog hosting platforms for every skill level.

Once you've got your blog up and running, the next key to gaining a massive audience is to create a lot of content, fast. If you need expert help creating content that will rank high in search engines, our team can help.

At iWriter, we create expertly crafted content at incredibly low prices with a 100% guarantee.

What do you have to lose?

Learn more about the content we create and start dominating the blog-o-sphere today!

"Keep it short! Millennials have attention spans like goldfish! They won't stick around for long-form content."

They said, being very wrong.

The short-form content advice was standard from the very beginnings of SEO up until fairly recently.

It was assumed that modern audiences just didn't have the patience for long-form content, that they wouldn't stick around long enough to justify the work involved, and anyway, wasn't Facebook pivoting to "Video First" anyway?

As it turns out, almost every piece of that advice was dead wrong.

Modern audiences fo just fine with long-form content, and if you make it worth their time, they will absolutely stick around.

And that Vidoe first thing turned out to be one of Facebooks worst ever decisions.

Long-form content can be an enormously effective tool in gaining you links and traffic. But only if you do it well. Bad long-form is almost worse than not doing it at all.

So let's talk about long-form content. What is it? How does it help you gain traction? And how can you make sure you're doing it right?

Keep reading to find out.

What is Long Form?

The answer here really depends on who you ask.

Some experts will tell you that long-form is anything over 4000 words, veering into E-book territory. And while e-books can be valuable in terms of both traffic and website monetization, we aren't going to look at them just yet.

For our purposes, we're talking long-form articles, or anything 1500 words or longer.

Word counts can be hard to visualize if you aren't a career writer, so think of it like this. 500 words are about one printed page, single-spaced. It's quick and easy to digest, but not going to give much in terms of in-depth information.

1500 to 200 words, and beyond, is admittedly far longer, coming in at between 3 and 4 printed pages. But that amount of space lets you really dig into your topic, providing detail, examples, and explanation in a way that short form simply doesn't allow.

What's the Benefit of Long Form?

Long form does come with its own set of complications.

First, writing 1500 words is a lot harder than most people realize. But the challenge really isn't the length. It's writing 1500 words that are all worth reading.

Millennials, that oft-maligned age group, have been accused of being incapable of focusing long enough to take in long-form content. Turns out, they absolutely can, they just want it to be worthwhile.

COnsumers of all ages, but especially millennials, are very conscious of having their time wasted, so if you can't make your long-form articles worthwhile, you aren't going to gain the traffic and views you're after.

If you can do it well, however, long form has a ton of benefits.

1. Better Rankings

Google is notoriously tight-lipped about their algorithm, but one thing we know is that longer content ranks high.

Now, no one is quite sure why, because the specifics of the monster search engine are locked up tighter than Fort Knox.

But what we do know is that 2012 study found that the top ten results for more than 20,000 keywords had one thing in common: length. Each of the results was above 2,000 words. Shocking at the time, because internet analysts were still convinced that no one was going to read anything over 140 characters.

2. Builds Authority

If you can write at length about a topic, and do it in an engaging way, chances are you one of two things: a professional copywriter with a penchant for good research or an expert.

Your average viewer assumes expert.

Long form content gives the impression that you know your stuff. You are delivering deeper than surface information that the average person simply doesn't know, and that makes you an authority.

Information coming from an authority is more likely to be shared on social media, more likely to be taken seriously, and more likely to be revisited should more questions on the topic arise.

3. Higher Conversions

It's fairly well known that if you can keep someone on your site for longer than ninety seconds, you're more likely to keep them indefinitely.

A long-form article of say, 2,000 words, takes about seven minutes to read, on average. If you can keep someone reading that entire time, they are steadily becoming more invested in what you have to say.

If they stay longer, they are more likely to delve into your site, to subscribe, and to join an email list. Those additional minutes can mean the difference between a one-time reader and a long-time customer.

4. Better Engagement

Remember that 2012 study? It also found that long-form articles were more likely to have comments and shares than shorter pieces.

There's no one explanation for this, but here is our best guess: As people read (remember, taking that average of seven minutes), they are investing in the content. As they invest, they react. And when you mix deep investment with reaction, you get engagement.

And this is solid engagement we're talking about. The kind that gets retweeted and pinned and shared.

Engagement, of course, feeds into conversions, which reinforces your authority, which helps the content to rank, which encourages enaggement...the whole thing feeds itself until you have a self-sustaining ranking machine.

Doing Long Form Articles the Right Way

So now we have you convinced that long-form is awesome.

But the whole thing comes with a caveat. If you do it wrong, you might as well not do it at all. Long-form isn't like keyword stuffing, that will work for a while before dropping off. Poor quality long-form might as well be invisible.

So how can you make sure your long-form content is amazing? There are a few key ways.

1. Think Diversely

There are a few types of content you're probably familiar with. You've got your basic how-to, broad overviews, resource posts, etc.

But the thing about long posts is that you can't stick to just one type of post to make them successful. Because of the depth involved, even an article that says, a how-to, will become both an overview and a resource. The same applies in reverse. A broad overview may also become a solid resource and even a light news piece.

The reason for this is depth. In longer articles, you need more quality information to fill out the word count, so you have to broaden your horizons. More details, more connections...it all ups your word count and adds context and interest.

The practical advice here is don't shoehorn yourself with long-form content. Start with the basic type you are going for, but be willing to expand into other post types.

2. Make it Navigable

So, there is some merit to the whole issue of attention spans, but it isn't the one internet analysts were so worried about.

We've already shown you that people are more than willing to hang in there for a long post. But that doesn't mean anyone wants to stare at a massive wall of text.

Take a look at how we've organized this post. Notice anything?

It's two things, actually.

The first is the paragraphs. We keep the paragraphs short, no more than three (maybe four) sentences. This takes advantage of the white space on the page and helps prevent fatigue.

The other key is headings and subheadings. They help break everything up and make the text skimmable. Try to keep your subheadings topical, so that your audience gets a good idea of what's coming next.

3. Defer to Data

Even if you're doing a purely opinion-based think piece, you'll need to back everything up with data.

You can do this one of two ways, and honestly, it's not a bad idea to include both if you can.

The first is through stories. Connecting your concepts to actual people makes them more personal, and helps your audience connect with your content.

The other is through definitive numbers. Think studies and analysis. If you can back up your information with evidence and proof that it works, you'll make yourself more reliable and shareable.

Creating Long Form Articles that Work

Long form articles are complicated and time-consuming to create, but their payoff is more than worth it

For more on creating killer content that drives traffic and conversions, take a look here!

Is it possible to be a professional blogger? According to the income statements from the most popular blogs out there, the answer is yes.

Based on the highest earning blogs, monthly income can range from $15,500 to $18 million. While these earnings have a wide range, the point remains the same. Blogging can bring in a good income.

But, you may be wondering what types of blogs are making money? While any blog category can make money if done correctly, the most popular types of blogs that make money can generally fall into ten niches.

Before we get into these ten popular blog types, you first need to understand the blog categories these niches fall into.

Two Main Blog Categories

Blogs will generally fall into two categories

• Personal
• Business

While these categories can be broken down into specific areas, they still fall into either personal or business. What do these categories mean though?

Personal blogging is about branding yourself. You are sharing your interests with the world. You aren't necessarily selling a product, you're selling your personal brand.

Business blogging involves using your blog to sell products or services for your business. These types of blogs don't stand alone. Business blogs are attached to a website that seeks to sell people on your products rather than yourself.

Any niche you choose will fall into one of these categories. While some types of blogs are geared towards a specific category, many types can fall into either category.

The 10 Types of Blogs That Make Money

As you consider the different types of blogs, remember to keep in mind whether you want a personal or business blog.

Lifestyle Blogs

What is a lifestyle blog? A lifestyle blog is a type of blog geared towards specific interests. They can often be confused with personal blogs, but there is a difference.

While personal blogs act as an online journal of your daily life, lifestyle blogs focus on specific interests. Some examples include:

• Journaling and Types of Journals
• Planning
• Life Hacks
• Home Organization

Any areas of personal interest that you have special knowledge in is included in lifestyle blogs. Lifestyle blogs also differ from personal blogs in the visual content involved. While personal blogs focus on story-writing, lifestyle blogs focus on visually appealing content to share their expertise.

This visual content can include high-quality pictures, infographics, and videos. Many lifestyle bloggers create their own products around their areas of interest, and the visual content is used to highlight these products.

Video tutorials, digital planners, menu planners, etc. are all examples of products that can be sold on a lifestyle blog. These products, as well as affiliate products, are the primary income source for lifestyle blogs.

Personal Journal Blogs

A personal journal blog is just what it sounds like. With this type of blog, you are sharing your personal stories from daily life. When blogging began, this was the primary use of blogs.

Rather than focusing on specific interests, personal journals allow you to share anything that comes to mind. There is no specific topic.

These types of blogs make money through affiliate marketing and ads mostly. Personal blogs can also do sponsored posts. The key with personal and lifestyle blogs is to use the content you create to promote the different earning sources you have.

Parenting Blogs

Parenting blogs are very popular. With these types of blogs, you can share humorous stories about your parenting struggles, parenting wins, advice, etc. Parenting blogs can be as general or specific as you want.

One specific type of parenting blog is a homeschool blog. As homeschooling becomes more mainstream, these types of blogs have great earning potential.

With parenting blogs, you can create your own products or market products through ads and affiliate marketing.

Business Promotion Blogs

Business blogs are usually blogs attached to a business' website. These types of blogs use the content on the blogs to promote their specific products. The idea is to use the content on the blog to direct people to purchase your products.

With a business blog, your focus is your own products or services. Business blogs generally don't do other marketing, though there is potential for affiliate marketing for complimentary products.

Finance Blogs

Finance blogs teach people how to handle and increase their finances. These are usually teaching blogs. Finance blogs focus on budgeting, finding credit or loan options, or even options to increase your income.

Finance blogs can sell digital tools or instructional videos. They can also participate in affiliate marketing and ad placement for making money.

DIY Blogs

Do-it-yourself blogs teach how to do DIY projects. These types of blogs share information on different projects, share templates for projects, or share stories about their own DIY projects.

Usually, a DIY blog will focus on specific types of projects such as crafts or home remodeling. These types of blogs can make money with tutorials and patterns, or affiliate marketing.

Fitness Blogs

Fitness or wellness blogs share information on how to get in shape or stay healthy. These blogs are promoting a healthy lifestyle.

With a fitness blog, you can share workout tutorials, healthy meal plans, etc. Sponsored posts and affiliate marketing are also good options.

Travel Blogs

With a travel blog, you can share your personal travel stories, share travel guides, or share tips for travel options. You can also share a combination of these types of blog posts.

Travel blogs can make money with affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, or even selling their own travel guides.

Food Blogs

Food blogs can focus on different areas. This can be sharing recipes, critiquing restaurants, or a combination with a travel blog sharing best places to eat in different areas.

The earning potential here is similar to others. Affiliate, sponsored posts, tutorials, etc.

Fashion Blogs

Fashion blogs can range from covering fashion shows to makeup tutorials to sharing deals on fashion products. Fashion blogs rely heavily on visual content, so some photography or video production skills are required for these types of blogs.

Fashion blogs can earn income through sponsored posts, influencer marketing, affiliate marketing, ad placement, or tutorials. A successful fashion blogger can also get other perks such as free tickets to shows or paid travel to cover events.

Content is Key in Blogging

For any of these types of blogs to make money, the content shared is the most important thing. The types of blogs that make money take advantage of the different content mediums to highlight their products, tutorials, or ads.

Picking the right content for your blog can be frustrating, especially in the beginning. If you're having trouble coming up with content for your blog posts, you may benefit from our blog writing services.

iWriter is dedicated to creating the best articles and content to make your blog stand out and increase income. For more information about the services we offer, check out our service options.

Over 400 million people read blog posts online every month.

That means there's a large audience out there ready to gobble up every blog post you publish. But how do you set up your own blog?

We've put together a guide of six steps you should follow when creating your first personal blog.

So stay tuned and keep reading below.

1. Think About Your Niche

The first step of setting up a personal blog is thinking about your niche. Because you don't have to write content for a specific business or product, you have a lot of flexibility here.

You can start by asking yourself these two questions. What do you want to write about? Who do you want to reach?

As you're finding the answers to these questions, there are a few other things you'll want to keep in mind. Use the following tips as you guidelines when picking your blogging niche.

• Make Sure You Enjoy Your Topic

If you don't enjoy it, what's the point of writing about it? There's a good chance your readers will be able to tell you aren't passionate about your topic, and they'll end up going somewhere else.

• Pick Something with Room for Discussion

You'll want to choose a topic that has plenty to talk about. A blog requires a lot of new content on a consistent basis. If your topic doesn't have any room for discussion, you'll blow through your content pretty fast.

• Choose Something That Let's You Establish Yourself as a Figure of Authority

There are a lot of other people out there blogging about the exact same topic you choose. Because of this, you have to find a way to stand out from everyone else. One of the best ways to do this is to present a new angle or make your content better than theirs. So make sure you pick a niche you have authority in.

2. Choose a Platform

Your platform is what allows you to publish your content to the internet. Once you put your content into this software program, other people on the internet can find and read your blog post.

There are a number of different blogging platforms to choose from.

One of the things you have to decide is whether you want to pay for your platform or not. If you're starting your first blog, it might be worth getting a free platform. But if you know what you're doing and want more features for your blog, you might want to pay for a platform instead.

WordPress is always a good place to start.

It's one of the biggest blogging platforms in the world, and it provides a lot of additional plug-ins and add-ons.

3. Choose Your Domain Name

Your domain name is like the identity of your blog. It's the name your readers can type into their search bar to find you.

The domain is part of your blog's URL. It sits right in the middle, after the Ws and before the .com. So, for example, your domain name might look something like this: www.yourdomainname.com.

So how do you pick a domain name?

It should be similar to, if not the same as, the name of your blog. Make sure your domain is short, easy to type, and something your readers can remember.

4. Find a Hosting Company

Your hosting company is where you're blog will live. Think of it like this...

Your blog is a website. That website is being stored on a special type of computer called a server. When a reader searches for your blog, the server will connect your website to their computer.

This is what allows them to read your content.

Before you can find a hosting company, you have to have a domain name. If you don't have a domain name yet, your hosting company might help you create one.

You'll have to pay for the best hosting services, but many companies offer solutions that are under $10 a month.

5. Design Your Blog

This is the part of the process where you get to make your blog look exactly the way you want it to look. The theme you choose can express your personality and let people know what type of blog you have.

If your writing about something playful, creative, and fun, you might want to pick a theme that's full of colors. If your niche is a little more professional, you'll want your theme to reflect maturity and sleekness.

But really, there's no wrong way to design your blog.

Allow yourself to get creative. Pick something you think looks good. After all, if you don't love your blog, what's the point of having one?

6. Start Writing Content

Once you choose your niche, get a blogging platform, come up with a domain name, find a hosting company, and design your blog, you're ready to start writing.

Don't worry about pushing new content out every day. Instead, aim to publish a blog post anywhere from one to three times a week.

Remember, this is your personal blog. You don't have to follow any strict guidelines. It's better to post one strong, well-written post a week than five sloppy ones.

How to Start Your Own Personal Blog

If you've never started a personal blog before, all these steps might seem overwhelming. But don't overthink it. The entire process is actually very simple. Choosing the name for your blog will be one of the hardest parts!

You can start a personal blog without spending any money. This might be a good idea if you aren't sure what you're doing. But it might be worth investing in your blog once you get more experience.

Getting ready to write your first blog post?

Make sure the title doesn't come across as click bait. Here are a few tips to help you get started.

There's no getting around it: SEO is one of the most important tools for running a successful business.

If you don't have a strong Internet presence, you'll be missing out on tons of potential business, as well as brand awareness.

Consistently posting high-quality content to your site's blog is one of the most efficient ways to make sure your audience can find you on search engines.

But, it won't do you much good to just upload random posts that have no direction to them. You need to have a content strategy to ensure you're getting the most out of your time.

Not sure where to start? Don't worry, we've got you covered.

Let's take a look at how to develop a plan for great content.

Develop a Goal

This is the most crucial step in the entire process. If you don't have a clear, definable goal, you'll have no foundation for the rest of the strategy.

When you have a solid understanding of why you're doing something, you're more likely to be successful at doing it. This can be said about virtually anything in life, but it's especially true when it comes to creating content.

So, what's the goal of your blog's content? Is it to inform your readers? Is it generate more leads?

Or, is it to help build your brand?

These are common purposes behind building blog content, and you aren't limited in just one.

Furthermore, your goals should have a numerical value to them. Rather than say "I want to make more sales this month," think "I want to increase sales by 10% over the next 30 days."

This type of definable aspiration will help you keep your eyes on your objective as you move forward.

Research Your Target Audience

You could offer the best product or service for the most competitive price in your industry, but if you're trying to sell it to the wrong consumers, you're not going to do much for your numbers.

Many entrepreneurs don't take researching their target audience as thoroughly as they should, and it shows.

You should research what your audience likes to do with their free time, what their hobbies are, what their median income is, etc. Anything that might affect how they make a purchasing decision.

But, most importantly, you need to figure out what type of online content they like to read. Naturally, this will help you tailor your content

By the end of your research, you should know your audience like you would an acquaintance in real life.

Zero in on Relevant Keywords

Now that you've figured out who your audience is, what they like to read, and how they spend their money, you're going to have to put in some work to help them find you online.

Without the proper keyword research, you'll be wasting both time and money trying to desperately bring in site traffic. And, it having quality content on its own won't help if you don't have the right keywords.

So, where do you begin? It's not as difficult as it may seem.

By using a keyword research tool, such as Google's Keyword Planner, you'll be able to see what people are searching for, how many people are searching for it, and how competitive that keyword is to rank for.

Since you'll be essentially starting from the bottom, you'll want to try and rank for keywords with a high volume and low competition.

Once you've chosen a few relevant to your business, it's time to start (strategically) placing them in your content.

While it's obvious you need to incorporate them into the body of your posts, don't forget to use them in the title, SEO description, image text, and headers.

Create a Schedule + Deadlines

If you want to ensure that you maintain your consistency when posting on your site's blog, creating a calendar is a must.

But, consistency isn't the only thing a calendar will help you with. You'll also be able to map out your article topics for the month (or longer).

When you set a deadline, it's vital that you adhere to it. Missing a post will throw off the rest of your schedule, and will result in you having to rework your calendar.

Consistency is something that people innately look for when on a brand's website. If you've barely posted recently or posted erratically over the past few months, you'll give off a disorganized vibe that your won't audience won't resonate with.

Write, Write, Write

Now that your research and planning are done, all that's left for you to do is create the content.

As previously mentioned, your content should always be of stellar quality. But, there are a few standards you should always adhere to.

Grammar

Your grammar needs to be perfect. Period.

If you leave even one grammar error in an article, you'll give off the impression that you don't bother to edit or proofread your work. The last thing you want is for your audience to think you're taking shortcuts.

Factuality

If you use a number or a statistic in your writing, you need to have a source for it.

It's best to look at it this way: if the fact is right, you must have gotten it from a source, so you should provide the source. If the fact isn't correct, then why would you use it?

Readability

Nobody wants to read a wall of text, and nobody's going to.

Breaking up your writing into smaller paragraphs and using headers, subheaders, and bullet points go a long way toward keeping your readers engaged.

With all of thee tips in mind, you'll be ready to post (after one more readthrough).

Great Content Doesn't Come Easy

But the payoff is always worth it. Taking the time to create great content is one of the best ways for you to connect with your audience and build your brand.

Not everyone has the time (or ability) to write multiple quality posts each week. If you find yourself in this position, take a moment to see what we can do for you.

Looking to extend your blogs to a broader audience?

Blogging is a competition of staying on top of the search engines, and with the internet becoming a bustling hive, you need to do your best to stay relevant. But sometimes, your best is not enough.

There are over 30 million bloggers in the United States alone. Taking into account how many blogs they write on a regular basis, it can be tough to prevent your blogs from drowning under all that information on the internet.

While there are many ways to increase your reach, syndicating content is the easiest and most reliable method of doing it. Below, we've prepared a guide to teach you more about content syndication. Read on to be able to reach a new audience.

What is Content Syndication and Why is it Important?

By definition, it's a method where your content gets republished by other websites. People allow other websites to syndicate their content to reach that website's audience. Not only that, but it also helps drive traffic to your other blogs through other means.

No one can tell you how important it is today. In this age where blogging is mainstream and people already have a head start, even getting an audience can be a hard thing to achieve. Syndication allows people to get an early start even when they're still a growing blog.

Yes, many people still have reservations about syndication. Most of these come from the fear of Google penalizing their content for plagiarism. In response, you should know even well-known websites syndicate content.

Websites like CNN, HuffingtonPost, and Forbes make use of content that's syndicated. You don't see them getting dinged for plagiarism, do you? This is because they've done the necessary steps to make sure Google knows they're syndicated posts.

Now that you know what syndication is, let's talk about how you can get started. Learning about how to do it is important to prevent getting a plagiarism ding from Google. These steps also help you become a more efficient blogger for

1. Start a Guest Posting Service

Most people like to start off by offering blogs to become syndicated. The problem with this idea is that you won't get much visibility even with good SEO. This will lead to many more problems along the line.

One of the problems is that people will not take interest in your work no matter how good they are. Many websites take a look at reputation rather than your work when deciding to republish it. Starting off as an independent blog post, you can see the problem you'll encounter here.

Instead, you should consider guest posting to start off with. Guest posting is an ideal start to making a reputation for yourself. It may not be as quick as you may hope, but it's a strong starting point.

What makes guest posting ideal is how close the relationship is to that of syndicate posting. In essence, you do the same thing, you write a blog post, wait for others to publish it, their audience reads the blog, and get a little recognition in the end for doing so.

It's also a great way for you to train your blogging style. It's important to have your own personal tone when you have your posts syndicated. It lets the readers identify you as the writer of the post across different websites.

2. Partner Up with Big Websites that Fit Your Blogs

While you're guest posting for different websites, you should also be doing 2 other things in the background. First, you should be working on your own blog posts. Second, you should scout which websites post the same kind of content you make.

Being selective to which websites you want to republish your content is important. Selecting a website which posts different kind of content will make yours look out of place. This will result in people ignoring your work, wasting the time you invested in it.

On the other hand, you can change what content you write to fit their categories. Many popular websites post blogs about SEO and marketing. So, it may be a good idea to start researching those if you prefer that approach.

Upon finding a website that matches your content, check to see if they syndicate blog posts. To do this, go and check out some of their blog posts. If in any of them you see a message stating where you can find the original post, then you can confirm it's syndicated content.

A rule you should remember when choosing sites is the bigger they are, the higher the demand for quality. So, make sure your content has all the elements of a successful blog post.

3. Optimize Your SEO

In order to prevent plagiarism dings, you and your partners have to optimize the SEO on your content. SEO optimization in syndicate posts doesn't rely on the usual factors, on-page content, keywords, links, and so on. Instead, it relies on special tags that help Google recognize it as syndicate posts.

There are 2 tags that can help Google recognize your syndicated posts. The first tag is the rel=canonical tag. This tag helps lead Google and other search engines back to the page where they can find the original post. This helps the algorithms realize that the post is a syndicated one.

Syndicated posts can also get the NoIndex tag to prevent plagiarism. When a post has this tag, it removes any chances it has of showing up on the search engine's results page. The algorithms won't ding you for plagiarism because they don't have to rank the specified page.

Both of these tags don't only prevent plagiarism dings. They also help prioritize your post above the republished ones. This is because the tags are both designed to help direct traffic to your post if someone looks for it on search engines.

Know How to be Effective at Syndicating Your Content

Syndicating your content allows you to improve traffic to your website. It's a low-cost investment, but you still get big rewards! Read our guide to figure out how it works now!

Do you have any question about blog syndication? Contact us here, we're more than happy to help!